Stringing device for musical instruments



(No Model.)

B. P. NEWMAN. STRINGING DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 592,995. v Patented Nov. 2,1897.

NITED STATES PATENT rrrcn.

ELMEE P. NEWMAN, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

STRINGING DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,995, dated November 2, 1897.

Serial No. 600,140. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELMER P. NEWMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Stringing Device for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a stringing device for musical instruments, such as pianos; and the objects in view are to provide simple and improved means for seatingthe tuning-pins and holding the same from backward rotation by reason of the strain of the strings, to provide means for increasing the resonance of the instrument by allowing the vibration of the strings to be communicated to the tuningpins, to provide such a construction of stringing devices as to simplify and expedite the stringing operation, and to provide means whereby the construction of the piano-plate is simplified and hence the cost thereof reduced.

It is acommon practice in the construction of pianos and similar instruments to employ awrest-plank bolted to the rear side of the metallic piano-plate and provided with a plurality of openings which are bored in registration with corresponding openings in the plate for the reception of the tuning or wrest pins, said plank being constructed of a plurality of thicknesses or layers of wood, the grain in the several thicknesses running in different directions in order to prevent splitting under strain; but in this construction the frictional contact of the walls of the openings in which the pins are seated is depended upon to prevent backward rotation of the pins, and hence the looseningof the strings attached thereto. This frictional contact has a tendency to increase the difficulty of the forward turning of the pins and the pins are liable to be loosened by changes of temperature and conditions of atmosphere which affect the material of the wrest-plank, and hence itis my object to provide means forpreventing backward rotation of the wrest-pins which shall not depend for their efficiency upon favorable climatic or atmospheric conditions and which will not increase the difficulty of turning the pins forwardly or in the direction necessary to increase the tension of the strings, and it is also my object to avoid the use of the above-mentioned expensive wrest-plank and at the same time do away with the boring of the piano-plate to form the openings for the reception of the pins.

Further objects and advantages of this in vention will appear in the following descrip tion, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view of a portion of a piano-plate partly fitted with stringing devices constructed in accordance with my invention and also partly strung to indicate the relative arrangement of the parts. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the piano-plate, taken transversely through the grip-bar seats. Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of a portion of the grip-bar constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. at is a detail plan view of the same, showing a wrest-pin arranged in one of the seats. Fig. 5 is a detail front view of the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a piano-plate, of which the body portion may be of any preferred construction, and contiguous to the upper edge thereof is formed aseries of longitudinal gripbar seats 2, corresponding in number with the number of unison strings with which the instrument is provided. Each seat consists of a cavity having approximately parallel upper and lower walls, between which is arranged the body portion of the improved grip-bar 3, said grip-bar being arranged cross-sectionally in an approximately horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2, and being provided with a toe 4 to bear against the upper wall of the seat. The bar is provided at its front edge with a depending lip 5, having a beveled inner surface which bears against a beveled shoulder 6 arranged contiguous to and below the lower side of each seat, said beveled shoulder terminating in a forwardly-extending rib 7, against which the edge of the lip bears.

The wrest-pin seats 8, which are formed in and consist of grooves having opposite side walls which approach each other or converge toward their floors, one wall 9 being approximatelyperpendicular to the plane of the gripthe upper side of the grip-bar, are open-sided bar and the opposite wall 10 being inclined outwardly or from the perpendicular wall 9, as shown clearly in Fig. 5, the distance between said walls contiguous to the floor of the wrest-pin seat being less than the diameter of the wrest-pin 11, whereby the latter is held out of contact with the floor of the seat. (Also shown in Fig. 5.) Thus the opposite walls of each wrest-pin seat form bearingpoints between which the wrest-pin is arranged, but by reason of the inclination of one wall to the direction of strain of the contiguous portion of the string 12, while the opposite wall is parallel. with said direction of strain, it will be seen that said bearing-points are not arranged in contact with the wrestpin at diametrically opposite points of its surface. On the other hand, the bearingpoint formed by the inclined wall of the seat is between the point diametrically opposite the bearing-point formed by the perpendicular wall and the floor of the seat, and is approximately in the plane of the string which leaves that side of the wrest-pin in contact with said inclined wall. The string leaves the wrest-pin at a tangent to the surface of the latter, and it is obvious that a bearing wall arranged in the same plane, or arranged at a tangent to the wrest pin at the same point as the string, would allow the pin to turn freely unless the latter were held in tight frictional contact with the wall; but the inclined disposition of the contiguous wall of the seat arranges the bearing-point in rear of the point at which the string is tangent to the pin, and hence causes the strain applied to the pin by the string to wedge the pin between said opposite walls. Furthermore, the inclined or gripping wall of the seat is longitudinally convexed to cause the pin to hear at a single point instead of upon a line coextensive with the length of the seat, this construction being adapted to insure the proper and effective contact of the pin with the inclined wall of the seat, irrespective of the wearing of the pin and seat due to the repeated turning of the former in the operation of tuning.

The inner or rear extremities of the wrestpins bear against rests 18, by which the seats are closed at this poi ntna1nely, at the toe of the grip-barand inasmuch as the strings are attached to the outer or front ends of the wrest-pins it will be seen that the bearing of the intermediate portions of the pins upon the opposite walls of the seats constitutes fulcrums. In other words, each pin has a downward hearing at an intermediate point be tween the opposite downwardly-convergent side walls of the seat and an upward terminal bearing upon the rest at the inner end of the seat, and inasmuch as the wrest-pin is exposed entirely at one side and is only in contact at certain points with the seat in which it is fitted it will be obvious that said pin is free to vibrate with the string attached thereto, and thus serve as a more ellicicnt conductor of said vibrations to the pianoplate and soundingboard, thereby increasing the resonance of the instrument.

A further advantage of the above-described construction resides in the fact that the wrestpins may be readily seated and unseated, thus facilitating the stringing of the instrument.

Inasmuch as the grip-bars are constructed separately and are removably seated upon the piano-plate (said grip-bars containing the wrest-pin seats) it will be understood that the construction of the piano-plate is greatly simplified and that the same may be manufactured at a less cost than those which must be bored to form wrest-pin seats,for the reason that the grip-bar seats may be cast thereinto and will be sufliciently true and perfect for all practicalpurposes without dressing by hand or machinery.

The upper and lower or opposite abrupt side walls of the grip-bar seats against which the grip-bars have bearings are disposed transversely to the direction of strain of the strings, as will be understood from the foregoing description, each grip-bar having a bearing against each of said opposite side walls. One bearing is arranged contiguous to the front side or mouth of the seat on the inner wall or that wall toward which the front or projecting end of the wrest-pin is forced by the tension of the string and the other bearing being in the opposite direction against the outer wall of the seat and near the bottom or floor of the latter. This outward pressure of the rear portion of the gripbar is due to the fact that the strain of the string is applied to the projecting portion of the pin, and thus causes the bearing upon the inner wall of the seat to form a fulcrum. The frictional contact of the grip-bar with the opposite walls of the seat due to the front and rear hearin gs of the bar upon the walls of the seat is sufficient to hold the grip -bars firmly against movement when the strings are under tension, but when the tension is relieved the grip-bar is free to be removed forwardly from the seat. Obviously the mouth or open front side of the seat is broader than the cross-sectional area of that portion of the grip-bar which is inserted in the seat. Hence the gripbar is held in place solely by frictional contact with the walls of the seat when the strings are applied to the wrest-pins. The cramping of the grip-bars in the grip-bar seats is due furthermore, to the fact that said gripbars are cross-sectionally elongated in a plane parallel with the wrest-pins, or in a plane perpendicular to that of the plate in which. the seats are formed, or perpendicular to the direction of strain of the strings, whereby the leverage produced by the strain upon the outer or front projecting portions of the wrestpins causes the grip-bar to bear at its front edge against one wall of the seat and at its rear edge against the opposite wall of the ICC ' seat. There is but slight tendency resulting from the strain of the strings to lift the gripbars or move them forwardly out of the seats.

In Figs. 1 and 2, wherein portions of the pia110-plate are shown, a plurality of parallel grip-bar seats may be seen, and the number of parallel seats at any given point is governed by the number of unison strings required for each tone or degree. Forinstance, in the middle registers of the instrument it is usual in grand pianos to employ three unison strings for each tone or degree, where as in the outer registers, wherein the strings produce, respectively, high and low tones, the number of unison strings is reduced to two, and even in the extreme lower register to one string. Fig. 2 shows a section of that portion of a piano-plate wherein three unison strings are employed, thus requiring three grip-bars, while at the left in Fig. 1 two grip-bars are shown at one point and a single grip-bar at the extreme left.

Furthermore, the grip-bars may be ornamcnted, as by nickel or other plating, without adding materially to the cost of the completed article, inasmuch as said operation does not involve the handling of the piano-plate.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A mu sicalinstrument having open-sided wrest-pin seats provided with opposite walls converging in the direction of the strain applied by a string to the wrest-pin arranged therein, substantially as specified.

2. Amusical instrument having open-sided wrest-pin seats provided with opposite walls converging in the direction of the strain applied by a string to the wrest-pin and forrning approximately opposite bearing-points for the wrest-pin, and a rest closing the seat at its inner end to form a terminal bearing for the wrest-pin, substantially as specified.

3. Amusicalinstrument havingopen-sided wrest-pin seats provided with intermediate bearing-points adapted to form a fulcrum for a wrest-pin mounted therein, and a terminal wrest to receive the pressure of the wrest-pin in the opposite direction to that applied to said intermediate bearing-points, substantially as specified.

4. A musical instrument having wrest-pin seats provided with opposite walls arranged respectively parallel with and inclined to the direction of strain applied by a string to the wrestpin fitted therein, whereby said walls converge in the direction of strain to arrange the bearingpoint of the pin upon said inclined wall approximately in the plane of the string, substantially as specified.

5. A musical instrument having wrestpin seats provided with opposite walls arranged respectively parallel with and inclined to the specified.

6. A musical instrument having a plate provided with a seat which is open at its front side, and a grip-bar for wrest-pins fitted in the seat in contact with opposite walls thereof and adapted to be inserted and removed through said open front side, said grip-bar being held in place solely by friction due to the tension of the strings which are attached to the pins, and being released for removal by relieving said tension, substantially as specified.

7. In a stringed instrument, the combination of a plate having a seat disposed transverselyto the strings and provided with opposite inner and outer abrupt walls and having an open front side, and a wrest-pin-supporting grip-bar fitted in said seat and being cross-sectionally elongated in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the strings to provide front and rear points of bearing against said opposite walls, the strain applied to the wrest-pins by the strings causing frictional contact of the grip-bar with the Walls of the seat at said front and rear bearing-points, substantially as specified.

8. A musical instrument having a plate pro vided with a plurality of seats corresponding in number with the unison-strings and having open front sides, and wrest-pimsupporting grip-bars fitted in said seats and adapted to be removed through the open front sides, the cross sectional area of the portions of grip-bars which are fitted in the seats being of less width than the width of the said open front sides of the seats, and said grip-bars being held in place in the seats by frictional contact with the opposite walls thereofdue to the strain of the strings attached to the wrestpins supported by the grip-bars, substantially as specified.

9. A musical instrument having a pianoplate provided with grip-bar seats, and gripbars removably fitted in said seats and provided with open-sided wrest-pin seats, said bars having toe portions to bear against one wall of the grip-bar seats and forming rests for the ends of the pins, substantially as specified.

10. A musical instrument having a pianoplate provided with grip-bar seats having opposite abrupt walls, and grip-bars removably fitted in said seats in contact with one Wall thereof and provided with projecting toe portions to bear against the opposite wall, said gri p-bars being provided with wrest-pin seats, substantially as specified.

11. A musical instrument having a pianoplate provided with grip-bar seats having approximately parallel upper and lower walls and beveled shoulders contiguous to the lower walls, and grip-bars removably fitted in said In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto ailixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ELMER 1. NEYVMMI.

Witnesses:

E. L. HANSEN, P. Cims. JENSEN. 

